Travelers repeatedly stranded on island outside international airport

"A certified commercial pilot, Ashmore used his time in line to pull up the FAA's Notice to Airmen to check KOA's real-time status. He said the notice said that the airport's runway was closing at 10:30 p.m. for ongoing construction. Since 2024, KOA's sole runway has repeatedly closed as the Hawaii Department of Transportation, or HDOT, works on repairs and reconstruction. To allow workers onto the airfield, HDOT closes the runway every night, which means redeye flights are subject to a sharp cutoff for departures."

"At first, Ashmore felt assured. His flight, Alaska Airlines Flight 256 to Anchorage, was originally scheduled for a 9:23 p.m. departure. But after boarding with his girlfriend and other passengers, the flight stalled on the tarmac. Passengers watched another flight take off instead. As 10:30 p.m. rolled around, Ashmore said the Alaska Airlines pilot informed them on the loudspeaker that they were returning to the gate and deboarding. They'd have to fly out in the morning."

A passenger planning a layover at Kona International Airport experienced an overnight disruption when scheduled redeye flights were affected by nightly runway closures. Most KOA facilities are open-air, leaving security as the crowded indoor bottleneck. A certified commercial pilot checked the FAA Notice to Airmen showing the sole runway closing nightly at 10:30 p.m. for HDOT reconstruction, a shutdown pattern since 2024. After boarding an Alaska Airlines redeye, the flight stalled on the tarmac while another flight departed, and pilots returned passengers to the gate at the 10:30 cutoff, requiring them to deplane and wait to fly the following morning.

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